Cutting edge food science company scoops Business Support Supreme Award

New Zealand business was celebrated in style last night as more than 600 guests from the government, academic and business sectors came together to honour the winners of the 2016 AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards at a gala dinner at the Langham Hotel.

Leading New Zealand-based food science company Plant & Food Research was named the AUT Business School Supreme Winner in recognition of its contribution to business support and helping build New Zealand’s competitive advantage for the future. 
Hon Steven Joyce spoke at the Awards, along with the Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack and Dean of the AUT Faculty of Business, Economics and Law Professor Geoff Perry.  Business students Roshen Kulwant and Adriana Avendano Christie also delivered speeches and Guyon Espiner joined AUT’s Sarah Trotman as MC for the evening.

Supreme Winner – “adding value to our food products”
“Plant & Food Research is a very special New Zealand organisation with more than 80 years’ experience in food, horticulture, arable and seafood research. It’s commitment to business support sees it working hard to help industries turn their commodity products into consumer-focused premium brands. The impressive working relationships that Plant & Food Research has developed with industry bodies, growers and farmers sees it delivering world-class research and development solutions to a wide range of private and public enterprises across New Zealand,” said category evaluator AUT Business School’s Julian Kroll.

Diverse business support
The AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards celebrate excellence across ten diverse business support sectors ranging from technology and export support to not for profit, government and sales and marketing.
“AUT Business School takes great pride in these Awards which allow us to recognise and celebrate the best providers of business support in New Zealand. Without business support organisations and individuals, the performance of businesses here would be greatly affected and it’s important that we acknowledge the very important work that they do. From sales and marketing, and helping behind the scenes with everything from compliance and logistics to administration and maintenance, these businesses help keep our New Zealand industries running effectively and efficiently,” said Professor Geoff Perry, Dean of the AUT Faculty of Business, Economics and Law.

Eleven years of excellence
The Awards, founded by AUT Business School’s Director of Business Relations and Executive Education Sarah Trotman, are now in their eleventh year.  They are the only national performance measure for New Zealand organisations that provide business support.  Applications are judged by evaluators from the AUT Business School with oversight from the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation.

Photo:  (L-R): AUT Vice Chancellor Derek McCormack, AUT Business School’s Director of Business Relations and Executive Education Sarah Trotman, Hon Steven Joyce Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, CEO Plant & Food Research Peter Landon-Lane (Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards Supreme Award Winner) and Dean of the AUT Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, Professor Geoff Perry

2016 AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Winners:
AUT Business School Supreme Winner 
Plant & Food Research

Category Award Winners:
IMNZ Business < $5M T/O Management Services – Advisory Works (previously Results Group)
ICG Business < $5M T/O Sales & Marketing – Mint Design
IBM Business $5M – $20M T/O – TRA 
Fuji Xerox Large Business – Jasmax
Idealog Sustainability Support – Sustainable Business Network
New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation Not for Profit – Careerforce
Drake New Zealand Government – Plant & Food Research
AUT International Business Export Support – NZECO (New Zealand Export Credit Office)
Fuji Xerox Leadership – Wayne Norrie, Revera.